Cordless Power Tools

[DocThee]

I'm curious to see who uses what brand of cordless power tools here and why. I'm not talking weekend warrior stuff, I'm talking heavy duty contractor grade. For example the likes of Dewalt, Rigid, Milwaukee, Hilti, Porter Cable and the like.

Do you like Dewalt drills for their power, or because they're balanced right. In my mind every brand has its plusses and minus and it just comes down to color. lol. But I just wanted to know what guys used here...

Are Dewalts just Black and Decker tools with yellow casings? Are Milwaukee tools just Chinese owned company, does that affect their performance now? I'm looking for opinions on battery life, power, ease of use...things like that.

[Bigmatt]

I personally only own Dewalt's and as far as cordless tools go I think they are one of the best brands out there. We also use Dewalt at work and I believe we have broken only one Cordless drill. That was when it fell out of the lift about 20ft down onto a concrete floor.

One of the things to keep in mind is Voltage. I prefer 18V as the packs have more than enough power to run a Skill saw and the price isn't too bad. A charger with a Battery conditioning feature also helps the packs last much longer.

Bigmatt

[jgreen]

I use Dewalt exclusively. I am not a contractor, but mine definitely get used, alot. I have never had an issue. The batteries hold a charge, and the tools have worked flawlessly. Can't say much about the other brands other than craftsman, and I wasn't impressed with them.

Jon

[fasterbusa]

In one of the latest contractor magazines, they rated drills.
The one with the highest rating was the Makita White. It outscored everyone else.

[jgreen]

I personally only own Dewalt's and as far as cordless tools go I think they are one of the best brands out there. We also use Dewalt at work and I believe we have broken only one Cordless drill. That was when it fell out of the lift about 20ft down onto a concrete floor.

One of the things to keep in mind is Voltage. I prefer 18V as the packs have more than enough power to run a Skill saw and the price isn't too bad. A charger with a Battery conditioning feature also helps the packs last much longer.

Bigmatt

Good point on the charger and voltage. I also use the 18 volt. Forgot about that. :werd:

[Duner]

I like Dewalt and have a few, but for extended duty use tools I choose Porter Cable.


and.."I'm talking heavy duty contractor grade."...
This is a wide field of duty use though.

There's contractors that use a cordless drill to put a ir sensor in a garage,

and there's contractors that use a cordless drill on hammer setting with a masonary drill bit, and bungee it to the side of a slab of concrete on the highway to drill a rebar hole horizontaly, five at a time.

Anthony,
I thought you had family in construction....?
They would know better than us...

[Duner]

In one of the latest contractor magazines, they rated drills.
The one with the highest rating was the Makita White. It outscored everyone else.


I've noticed the same thing.
I wonder what their database of contractors consist of.

Like, mostly cabinet makers, or steel workers..

[DocThee]

Anthony,
I thought you had family in construction....?
They would know better than us...

I own a contracting business...and my guys are tool snobs. I was just wondering what the general consensus was. They were busting my nuts when I told them we are changing the fleet from Dewalt to Hilti. Then they mentioned other tools, which prompted this post. I was curious to see what everyone's thoughts are.

My tool fleet consists of Dewalt. We've tried Rigid and Porter cable, but those drills burn up fast. Dewalt uses a stronger alloy metal in their gears, which holds up when drilling anchors into walls. But I'm always bitching at these guys to use a corded drill for anchoring. So now I'm slowly phasing out my Dewalt fleet with Hilti. I can lease Hilti tools for two years and it covers battery's and repairs free of charge. Also there is theft coverage included. For example, we buy a Dewalt XRP 18V hammer drill for around $300 from Home Depot, Grainger, whatever. That drill comes with a manufactures warranty, that is limited. Then I'm buying new battery's every 6 months at $89/each. I can lease a Hilti tool for say $400 over two years and have everything covered including free battery replacement. At the end of two years I can either buy that beat up drill (tool) or turn it in and get another one. It seems I am saving money on the back end just in battery replacements, not to mention the cash flow. The Hilti is a better tool IMO compared to Dewalt, but the guys are snobs like I said and they like Dewalt. The Dewalts are balanced good where they can set the drill down and it stands up on the battery. The other drills are top heavy and they will tip over.

I guess it comes down to performance, battery life, life expectancy of the tool, diversity of cordless tools, and weight. I was just wondering what everyone used. Me, personally, I have a Ryobi set that was very inexpensive and does the job. I bought an 11 piece set from Craigslist for $100. But battery life sucks and they are not that heavy duty...although it works good with my weekend warrior stuff. I had an offer to buy a combo kit from Milwaukee for very inexpensive, as well as Hilti, but not sure if I wanted spend the money just to have nicer tools. As far as my guys go, if it is not int he fleet program through Hilti, they are not getting new tools.

I have learned that the same Chinese company that owns Milwaukee owns Ryobi, Homelite, Dirt Devil, among others. And Black and Decker owns Dewalt, Porter Cable, Delta, to name a few.

I like Milwaukee tools, but to think that that money is going to China sucks. They have plants all over the US, but HQ'd in China.

I like Hilti tools, but that money goes to France, they are HQ'd in Oklahoma.

[v2win]

I have a mix of Milwaukee and Dewalt drills and some really old Craftsman stuff from before it went to shit.

I had a 12v Milwaukee that was at least 10 years old. I used it almost every day and the gearbox finally self destructed. I will probably buy a new 18v I just hope the new stuff is as good as the old stuff.

[jgreen]

I just hope the new stuff is as good as the old stuff.

It never is!

[crayder90]

I think Hilti drills are the best out there performance wise. They are awesome. I don't know much about the balance of the drill but I would rather have a drill that works faster & more reliable than have it balanced. We use them for drilling in cement for concrete anchores. Hilti drills are the best. We've gone through numerous DeWalt drills. I also use Rigid & a corded Milwaukee which is pretty good. The think that sucks about concrete is you go through drill bits like crazy! We have to drill a 5/8 hole & those bits get worn out quickly, even when we start smaller pilot holes.

[Duner]

I own a contracting business...and my guys are tool snobs. I was just wondering what the general consensus was. They were busting my nuts when I told them we are changing the fleet from Dewalt to Hilti. Then they mentioned other tools, which prompted this post. I was curious to see what everyone's thoughts are.

My tool fleet consists of Dewalt. We've tried Rigid and Porter cable, but those drills burn up fast. Dewalt uses a stronger alloy metal in their gears, which holds up when drilling anchors into walls. But I'm always bitching at these guys to use a corded drill for anchoring. So now I'm slowly phasing out my Dewalt fleet with Hilti. I can lease Hilti tools for two years and it covers battery's and repairs free of charge. Also there is theft coverage included. For example, we buy a Dewalt XRP 18V hammer drill for around $300 from Home Depot, Grainger, whatever. That drill comes with a manufactures warranty, that is limited. Then I'm buying new battery's every 6 months at $89/each. I can lease a Hilti tool for say $400 over two years and have everything covered including free battery replacement. At the end of two years I can either buy that beat up drill (tool) or turn it in and get another one. It seems I am saving money on the back end just in battery replacements, not to mention the cash flow. The Hilti is a better tool IMO compared to Dewalt, but the guys are snobs like I said and they like Dewalt. The Dewalts are balanced good where they can set the drill down and it stands up on the battery. The other drills are top heavy and they will tip over.

I guess it comes down to performance, battery life, life expectancy of the tool, diversity of cordless tools, and weight. I was just wondering what everyone used. Me, personally, I have a Ryobi set that was very inexpensive and does the job. I bought an 11 piece set from Craigslist for $100. But battery life sucks and they are not that heavy duty...although it works good with my weekend warrior stuff. I had an offer to buy a combo kit from Milwaukee for very inexpensive, as well as Hilti, but not sure if I wanted spend the money just to have nicer tools. As far as my guys go, if it is not int he fleet program through Hilti, they are not getting new tools.

I have learned that the same Chinese company that owns Milwaukee owns Ryobi, Homelite, Dirt Devil, among others. And Black and Decker owns Dewalt, Porter Cable, Delta, to name a few.

I like Milwaukee tools, but to think that that money is going to China sucks. They have plants all over the US, but HQ'd in China.

I like Hilti tools, but that money goes to France, they are HQ'd in Oklahoma.


Battery life and warranty are big issues along with strong gears(since this is actually a cordless DRILL thread)...:) and It sounds like Hilti is a big money saver...as long as you dont experience site down time due to any broken tools.
Tell them to bite your azz. The can piviot their wrist to pick up the Hilti's if they dont stand up themselves....lol....
Kudos for looking to spend your money avoiding china.

Talking cordelss drills, I have owned two craftsman hammer drills that broke in a few days after buying them, a old Ryobi, and A Dewalt.
I also have problems with the Ryobi battery life, hence the Dewalt.

[Dan]

I have a 18V Milwaukee hammer drill for work. I've been drilling through peoples houses for almost a year with it and its still going strong. The batteries seem to last quite awhile but i' m not using it all day everyday. I'm happy with it.

[Supafly]

Hey Doc,

I have had many power tools working in the construction business. I had a Dewalt kit that lasted for 7 years before the drill finally went out. During that time I never bought a new battery or ever had anything fixed.

The new kit I bought was the Lithium Ion Makita kit. Can you say $650 piece of trash. Granted the tools are nice and the battery life between charges is good but the tools break easy. I have had the kit one year and have already had the impact gear replaced under warranty as well as a new flashlight. I had to buy a new battery and charger because they went out right after the warranty expired. Bottom line stay away!

Hilti does make good tools as you mention and these as well as the Dewalt are a good bet. It sounds like you drill through a lot of concrete and I assume your workers are setting the tools down on the ground quite a bit. A simple belt holster to hold the drills will cure many of your battery issues. Setting these packs on the ground is no different than setting a car battery on concrete. They will drain rapidly when set on concrete.

[BigC]

IMO...
I think it comes down to what will save the business owner money in the long run.
If the Hilti is a little more expensive to purchase (Lease) in the beginning but all repairs and battery replacements are free and your crew does not have any downtime waiting for repairs than that is the route I would go. But if you are experiencing downtime waiting on tools that are out for repair than you are loosing money that way. But I guess you wno't know that unless you buy the Hilti and they keep breaking.

You as the business owner will have to make a decission on what brand you think will work the best and save you money at the same time. I know people have their own personal favorite brands. They can "Bellyache" all they want. Or, do what my company does, make them supply their own tools if they don't want to use the ones you supply.

That is just my :2cents:

Good luck with your decission!!!

[Jay22]

Agreed. You should do whatever makes your business more profitable unless it puts yourself and employees at risk. Since switching to Hilti to save some money doesnt increase health risks then it should be done as soon as possible. Besides, hilti makes some good stuff from what I hear. I've used their pneumatic tools and they kick ass all day long. I used a framing and finishing gun while re-building my garage with no issues whatsoever.

If it increases your bottom line then go for it. Your business is not a charity, it feeds your family. Using Hilti tools will not make their jobs any harder or more dangerous and it increases your bottom line. What are you waiting for? :-)

[DocThee]

Right...I really was more looking for opinions on tools, not advice on how to run the biz. I was just wondering everyone opinions on tools they have used. I'll keep with the Hilti Fleet program and keep hearing them bitch. In the end, it is worth it for me.

Funny thing...one of the cordless Hilti's took a dump today, good thing they have more than one drill or there would be down time. And all I heard was, "well the Dewalt's don't do this". So they had a spare Hilti to use...Hilti's are like Harley's you always have to have two...one to ride and one for parts.

[v2win]

Tell them to stop bitchin or they can buy there own tools

[xboxdynasty]

Tell them to stop bitchin or they can buy there own tools

+1

Dewalt and Milwaukee only. Rigid is a poser in my opinion. Dewalts are good tools and usually have a 5 year warranty. I've dropped my drill from 2 stories, sacrificing it for myself. Still runs like a champ. One Milwaukee I've had has run for like 10 years but it is my home drill.

BTW you should might wanna watch what their used for. Used the old ones for masonry. Older saws for roof tear downs, the 2 sheets of particle board can fuck any good saw, even Dewalt.

Have you tried Ryobi or Black and Decker? :laughing: